The United States has officially identified the remains of a World War II pilot who went missing after his fighter aircraft was shot down over northern Thailand more than 80 years ago.
The US Embassy in Thailand announced on Sunday that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) had identified the remains as those of 1st Lt. Franklin McKinney, whose P-51 Mustang crashed in Lampang Province during a wartime air battle on 11 November 1944.
“After more than 80 years of uncertainty, 1st Lt. McKinney is finally going home to his family,” the embassy said in a statement.
McKinney was among 16 US fighter pilots who flew from southern China to attack Japanese military targets in northern Thailand during World War II. Their mission encountered five Royal Thai Air Force Ki-27 fighters that had taken off from Lampang Airport, leading to an aerial engagement later known as the “5 versus 16 Air Battle over Lampang.”
During the battle, McKinney’s P-51 was shot down in the mountains of Lampang. He was listed as missing in action and presumed dead.
The embassy said American and Thai teams located the remains in March 2026 after years of historical research, field investigations and close cooperation between the DPAA, the Royal Thai Government and local experts.
The crash site had first been identified in late 2018, followed by several surveys. In March this year, excavation teams recovered aircraft wreckage and survival equipment believed to have belonged to the missing pilot, leading to the official identification.
The US Embassy thanked the Royal Thai Government, local authorities in Lampang, archaeologists and students from Thammasat University, as well as the UCLA partnership team, for their role in the recovery effort.
According to the embassy, Thai and American volunteers spent months working in difficult terrain to recover the remains, helping bring long-awaited closure to McKinney’s family.
“America is grateful to our Thai allies,” the embassy said.
